Monday Night Foreign Films - La Chimera

2023 Italy 2hr 10minutes
Drama/Comedy NR
In Italian with English subtitles

After the death of the love of his life, English archaeologist Arthur (Josh O’Connor) is desperate to find the mythical door to the afterlife -- but to do so, he must team up with a network of tomb raiders who break into ancient tombs in search of archaeological wonders to sell on the black market.

Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but never manage to find. For the band of tombaroli, thieves of ancient grave goods and archaeological wonders, the Chimera means redemption from work and the dream of easy wealth. For Arthur, the Chimera looks like the woman he lost, Beniamina. To find her, Arthur challenges the invisible, searches everywhere, goes inside the earth – in search of the door to the afterlife of which myths speak. In an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, between forests and cities, between celebrations and solitudes, the intertwined destinies of these characters unfold, all in search of the Chimera. NYTimes Critic’s Pick